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Comment by lwhi | Hacker News Reader

There is such a thing as talent.

Talent is a natural aptitude for an activity.

Sometimes a person's physical and psychological make-up naturally aligns with the requirements for a specific task or group of tasks; it's entirely reasonable to state that such a person has talent.

Passion is important - it's what makes your journey seem less like work, and is what will keep you focused regardless of results.

However, the world is (and always will be) an unfair place. Some people have a head-start on the others. These are the people with talent.

Nothing is impossible - and I believe we can always overcome adversity .. but some people will have to fight harder.

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Would you say being 6.9 feet tall is a talent for a basketball player?

Sure. I'd say that, all other things being equal, being tall gives an advantage to a basketball player. Therefore under lwhi's definition of talent, it counts. Why wouldn't it?

I realize this may not match up with what people usually mean when they say talent, but I think this definition is more consistent and useful.

So would you say being born from rich parents is a talent?

No; height is a physical attribute.

When a group of physical and psychological attributes or characteristics, combine to achieve favourable performance in a specific activity - talent can be a result.

EDIT: although passion (or interest) is key too.

>No; height is a physical attribute.

What are our brains made of again?

Do you ever refer to a person's brain size or weight?

I don't understand your point. Sure, our brains are made out of matter - and are physical organs. However, the interesting thing about a brain is the way it functions; I think it very necessary to think in terms of physical prowess and mental or psychological prowess when considering whether someone's naturally talented.

Being tall isn't a talent - it's an attribute that could give an advantage to a person who plays basket-ball. If the sum total of that person's other characteristics are also conducive to being good at basketball - that person would probably be known as a talented player.

An AMD K6 and a Core i7@2.67Ghz are roughly the same size and weight too.

Why the up votes? I still don't understand.

Under the basketball metaphor: a shorter player may outrebound a taller player. If you play sports, you know that there are some people who seem to react faster to everything, who seem to know where the ball is going, who naturally position themselves where they need to be before they know where the ball is going. You can teach some of this, but a lot of it is just that Money Ball intangible stuff.

Indeed .. in that case, being shorter and faster would lead to a favourable outcome.

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